PYONGYANG (Reuters) - North Korea's economy is believed to be virtually lifeless after decades of mismanagement, isolation and sanctions aimed at foiling its nuclear ambitions but its showcase capital, Pyongyang, shows no hint of calamity.
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PYONGYANG (Reuters) - North Korea celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Korean War truce on Saturday with a massive military parade trumpeting the revolutionary genius of three generations of leaders that gave it "Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War".
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SEOUL (Reuters) - With her flower-print dress and black hair dyed a fashionable light brown, Kim Ha-na does not seem like a former child beggar who risked her life three times trying to escape from North Korea before finally fleeing at the age of 15.
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Top talkers: The Washington Post’s David Ignatius joins the Morning Joe panel to discuss how serious the U.S. should take North Korea’s threats. Ignatius calls the threats “a direct military challenge to the United States.”

North Koreans marked the start of a three-day national holiday celebrating the birthday of North Korea’s first leader, Kim-Il Sung. The latest display of patriotic fervor comes as analysts wonder whether the North’s leader will seize the moment to make good on his threats of a nuclear launch. NBC’s

Secretary of State John Kerry opened the door to direct disarmament talks with North Korea, but there is still no sign Kim Jong Un is prepared to stop testing nuclear weapons. NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports.

Joe Cirincione, President of Ploughshare Fund and nuclear weapons expert, gives his analysis on North Korea’s threats. He weighs in on the likelihood of Kim Jung Un launching a missile and diplomacy between the United States and China.

Related Photos

U.S. Under Secretary For Terrorism And Financial Intelligence David Cohen and Vice Foreign Minister of South Korea Kim Kyou-hyun talk at Kim's office in Seoul July 30, 2013. Cohen is in charge of imposing sanctions on North Korea and Iran. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won (SOUTH KOREA - Tags: POLITICS)

U.S. Under Secretary For Terrorism And Financial Intelligence David Cohen and Vice Foreign Minister of South Korea Kim Kyou-hyun pose before their talks in Seoul July 30, 2013. Cohen is in charge of imposing sanctions on North Korea and Iran. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won (SOUTH KOREA - Tags: POLITICS)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un glances back at China's Vice President Li Yuanchao during a parade to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of a truce in the 1950-1953 Korean War, at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang July 27, 2013. Kim was joined by Li on the podium to inspect a massive th

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks to Choe Ryong-hae , director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army , during a parade to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of a truce in the 1950-1953 Korean War, at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang July 27, 2013. Choe, Kim's m